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Adobe releases Acrobat 7 with Linux reader support (ZDNet)Adobe releases Acrobat 7 with Linux reader support (ZDNet)Posted Jan 7, 2005 5:03 UTC (Fri) by jabby (subscriber, #2648)In reply to: Adobe releases Acrobat 7 with Linux reader support (ZDNet) by Junior_Samples Parent article: Adobe releases Acrobat 7 with Linux reader support (ZDNet)
I also remember that brief flirtation of Adobe with Linux. I also remember what followed...
Then CEO of Adobe, John Warnock, defended Microsoft in its antitrust trial. He came out as a staunch opponent of Free Software and GNU/Linux in particular. It seemed obvious at the time that Adobe would never make its applications available on a Free/Libre platform. Adobe became a member of the BSA. Their CEO hated Free Software and testified on Microsoft's behalf. They pulled their only Linux beta project.
Given this record, it doesn't seem like there would be the need for any backroom deal. The company was openly hostile toward GNU/Linux.
Fast forward to today and Warnock is no longer the CEO. He was one of the founders of the company, however, and probably doesn't want to let go completely. He is still Chairman of the Board. The new CEO is Bruce Chizen.
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/56833/adobe-experimenting-wit...
According to these articles from last year, Adobe is indeed planning a full Linux release of Acrobat (not just Reader). Adobe has joined OSDL and is active in the desktop Linux working group. It is hiring a "director of Linux market development" and a computer scientist to "become maintainer and/or architect for one or more Adobe-sponsored open-source projects." This doesn't even sound like the same company.
Perhaps this renewed interest in Linux is a sign of Warnock's decreasing influence over his company. Perhaps Chizen sees the writing on the wall that GNU/Linux is going to be one of the top three major desktop platforms. Maybe they see The GIMP improving quickly and they're hedging their bets.
I'm not sure how seriously to take them. They're a big proprietary software company. Their motivations are certainly not derived from any sense of community. Perhaps they are simply being pragmatic. That would be a step forward from the old days of open hostility.
Jason
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Adobe releases Acrobat 7 with Linux reader support (ZDNet) Posted Jan 7, 2005 6:57 UTC (Fri) by deatrich (subscriber, #25) [Link] Well said, Jason. I remember the Framemaker rumours ( the beta link is still there), and how disappointed I was when Adobe turned its back on Linux.Until Adobe joined OSDL I always thought that Microsoft had a way better basic understanding of the potential of Linux than Adobe (and I mean Microsoft the Business Machine and not Microsoft the Marketing Machine). I think that Adobe's OSDL initiative is indicative of something real this time.
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